Inadmissible
by MrsGiovinazzo
Summary: Danny draws the attention of a young Assistant Deputy District Attorney after he mishandles key evidence. This is my first fanfic. Reviews are greatly appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

_This story is written as a shout-out to the Locker Room groupies at CSI Files. Prior to stumbling upon the Locker Room, I had no idea so much time and energy could be devoted to the mindless discussion of one actor's amazing good looks. Now the Locker Room is my first stop on the internet each morning, even coming before issues that truly matter, and serves as a never-ending source of amusement to me._

_I was also unaware of the existence of fanfics prior to visiting the Locker Room. "Hoop Dreams" by ASKessler was the first fanfic I ever read. I was completely intrigued, shocked and excited all at the same time. The "slash" writings of ASKessler are what drew me to fanfic, but it wasn't until reading the masterful dialogue of the collaborative efforts of NeverMindDream that I decided to take a stab at this myself._

_Please read and review. However, I've decided to forgo the customary "This is my first fanfic, so be kind" remark. I prefer honesty to kindness._

**Inadmissible **

_Chapter One_

Lexi Taylor was having a very, very bad day. And to think the morning had started out so full of promise. Prior to entering the courtroom, Lexi had surveyed herself in the ladies room mirror. She was stunningly beautiful, even she had to admit that sometimes. This morning was one of those times. She had the sophisticated, East Coast old-money look found in Ralph Lauren ads, but her year-round fake tan and blonde highlights over a brunette base gave away her California roots. It was an odd combination, but somehow it worked for her in a sort of understatedly sexy way. The fact that she kept herself in remarkable physical condition and her clothing draped from her slender frame as if custom made didn't hurt either. She looked good today and felt even better.

Lexi had been in particularly good spirits as she stood in the courthouse this morning because she had finally taken the big plunge and made a career move she knew she would be proud of. After six years in civil private practice at a top-tier law firm where she routinely assisted negligent Fortune 500 companies in escaping liability, she made a move most attorneys wouldn't consider. Tired of the 60-70 hour workweeks and feeling her victories were always somewhat bittersweet, she had accepted a position as an Assistant Deputy District Attorney. Technically this was a step down as it was entry-level, but she didn't have any criminal trial experience so wasn't in a position to negotiate. More than anything, she was just looking forward to prosecuting the bad guy rather than defending him.

Today was Lexi's first day in her new job and she was making a routine court appearance to oppose a defense motion to exclude evidence at trial. Evidentiary hearings of this sort weren't common in her civil trial practice, but she was confident she had nothing to worry about. Her trial record was undefeated. She was sure this case, _The People of New York v. Stanley Jones_, would not change that. The accused had shot and killed his pregnant wife, then weighted her body down with concrete cinder blocks and tossed her into the Hudson River. The body had somehow freed itself of the concrete and washed ashore. Crime Scene Investigators later discovered the bullet, which had been a through and through, lodged in the sub-flooring of Mr. Jones' home, where they also recovered the murder weapon. This was sure to be a slam-dunk conviction.

Lexi walked out of the courtroom shaken, for the first time in her career. She fought back bitter tears of anger, frustration and defeat. Apparently, the CSI who removed the bullet from the sub-flooring of the Jones' home and processed it had inadvertently damaged the bullet beyond recognition. The defense argued that because the bullet had been so badly damaged, it would be impossible for defense experts to examine it and attempt to discredit the CSI's finding that the bullet was a match to the accused's gun. The judge agreed. The bullet had been ruled inadmissible as evidence on the grounds that admission would be prejudicial to the defense.

Lexi was at a loss as to how this could have happened and furious at the CSI who had so ineptly processed the bullet. She scanned her files for the name of the CSI responsible. Who the hell was Danny Messer?


	2. Chapter 2

_**Inadmissible**_

**Chapter Two**

From the courthouse, Lexi went directly to her uncle's office for help with her quickly deteriorating case. Her uncle, Detective Mac Taylor, was in charge of the department that mishandled the now-excluded evidence. Lexi had never been particularly close to Mac, but she respected him and enjoyed seeing him at the occasional family gathering. Of course, after Lexi's aunt died almost four years ago Mac seldom made an appearance. She presumed it was simply too painful for him to spend time with the family.

Mac greeted Lexi with a big hug and a smile. "To what do I owe this honor?" he asked.

Lexi told him of this morning's unfortunate court ruling and how his own Danny Messer was to blame. Lexi expected Mac to vigorously defend his own. Instead, he eyed her solemnly for a moment before shaking his head and responding, "I'm not surprised."

Lexi raised an eyebrow.

Answering her unasked question, Mac continued, "I took a big chance when I hired Danny and that may have been a mistake. The kid has good intuition, but often ignores the evidence to follow a hunch and has problems understanding the chain of command."

Lexi just nodded. Mac was an ex-Marine. Chain of command was everything. Her guess was that Danny Messer's days were numbered. She told Mac she would need to speak to Danny and he pointed her in the direction of the lab.

Lexi entered the lab to find four CSIs hard at work processing evidence. Hopefully without screwing anything else up, she thought to herself. Though she was beyond furious about the loss of critical evidence in her case, she would have to bite her tongue and be civil to Danny because she needed his help.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Danny Messer," Lexi announced as she entered the room.

A beautiful young Latina woman looked up from her work, rolled her eyes and nodded in the direction of a man hunched over a microscope, "Aren't they all?"

Lexi smiled and thanked the woman, then approached Danny. He was an attractive man approximately Lexi's own age with a golden tanned complexion and blonde highlights similar to her own.

"Are you Danny Messer?" she inquired.

He looked up, moving his glasses from their perch on top of his head down to their proper position on his nose, and gave her an appraising look. "Who's asking?" he wanted to know.

Lexi was completely unprepared for what she saw when Danny looked up. He was absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. His piercing blue eyes caused her to suck in her breath for a moment and his dazzling movie star smile was enough to bring any woman to her knees. This man was much too sexy to be working in a lab … but the white coat definitely worked for him.

Consciously remembering to breath again, Lexi answered, "I am. I'm Lexi Taylor, Mac's niece. I'm also an Assistant Deputy D.A. and am prosecuting a case you worked up involving one Stanley Jones. I need to talk to you about some evidence you processed."

"In that case, I'm your man," he smiled.

Upon hearing that she was related to Mac, the other CSIs introduced themselves. The beautiful Latina was Aidan. There was another woman, Stella, who resembled a classic Greek goddess and an attractive dark haired man named Don. They all seemed nice, particularly Aidan. There appeared to be some sort of chemistry between Danny and Aidan. Perhaps that's why he had botched her evidence. Too distracted by a beautiful colleague.

Turning her attention back to Danny, Lexi asked, "Is there some place we can talk?"

Looking down at his watch, Danny responded, "I'm off in a minute. Is this gonna take long? I'm starving."

A little irritated by his inference that food was more important than her case, Lexi said, "Then dinner is on me because, yes, this is going to take a very long time. You've got some explaining to do and I need to know everything about how you handled this case from start to finish. No detail left out."

"I do everything by the books," he shot back defensively.

"That's not what I hear," she glared at him.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Inadmissible**_

_**Chapter Three**_

A few minutes later, on Danny's recommendation, they entered an Italian restaurant called Carmine's located a few blocks from the police station. With thickly padded red booths and checkered table clothes, it had an old school feel to it and the food smelled terrific. Good suggestion, Lexi thought, though she wasn't about to compliment Danny on anything at this point.

Danny had a cocky, uniquely New York-bred Italian vibe that she didn't entirely trust, but found insanely sexy just the same. She generally did not favor ethnic accents, didn't matter whether the accent was New York, a sweet Southern drawl or West Virginia hillbilly, she believed they made people sound somehow less intelligent. In Danny's case, however, his thick accent was oddly arousing.

Lexi watched Danny closely as he studied the menu. She noticed he licked his lips when he concentrated. Reminiscent of something a child would do while performing the monumental task of tying their shoes for the first time, it was oddly charming.

They made small talk until their food arrived. Danny was from Staten Island, but beyond that was fairly evasive about discussing his family or other background details. He seemed to fidget a lot. His hands were constantly moving. She noticed he had the beautiful, graceful hands of an artist.

Their food arrived and Danny related everything he remembered about the Jones case as he dug into a big plate of spaghetti and meatballs. Lexi listened carefully to every word, but was captivated by the way he ate. His table manners weren't the greatest. His bites were too big and he spoke with food in his mouth, but there was a raw, uninhibited sensuality to him.

Danny's recollection of Stanley Jones and the evidence Danny had collected from his home was excellent. Although it had been some time ago that Danny worked up this file, he distinctly remembered Jones because he had been so completely unable to relate to what might cause a man to murder his pregnant wife. Danny's contempt for Jones was apparent. His passion might be a problem on the witness stand, Lexi thought, because as a CSI he must be able to objectively process the evidence without any of the emotion he displayed now. The strength of his feelings was compelling to her as a woman, yet problematic to her as a prosecutor.

Of critical importance, Danny had no idea how the bullet had been so badly damaged. Further, he was unwilling to admit even the potential of any wrongdoing on his part. He was adamant in his insistence that he had done nothing wrong. This annoyed Lexi. Obviously, he must have done _something_ wrong. The bullet didn't destroy itself, but Danny was unwilling to bend on this issue.

Lexi attributed her undefeated trial record largely to her "no bullshit" approach. Lexi didn't win cases on her brilliance, as there were always smarter attorneys, nor did she win them on experience, as she was usually the lesser-experienced attorney at trial. Rather, she explained her position to the jury in familiar, everyday language. She avoided legalese and use of over-rehearsed arguments like the plague. The jury appreciated that. They also appreciated her consideration for them. She always requested a recess prior to launching into segments of lengthy testimony, always made eye contact with each juror, and always ensured that the jurors had been properly taken care of during breaks. Further, she never gave them any reason to question her or the evidence she presented. They never felt she was playing games or had anything to hide. In short, Lexi made it easy for a jury to find in her favor.

"Regardless of whatever _may_ have happened in the lab," Lexi began diplomatically, "the end result is that critical evidence has been excluded. I can't begin to stress how damaging that is to my case. However, the findings of your investigation can still be admissible in the form of oral testimony."

Danny stared at her blankly.

Lexi continued, "Basically, I need you to testify as to all the details of your investigation, describe the bullet you found, where you found it, the gun, the ballistics testing you performed, the findings of your testing, etc. Think you can handle that?"

"Absolutely," Danny responded quickly. "I'll do whatever it takes to see that this bastard gets exactly what he deserves."

"I appreciate that. That are a couple issues we will need to discuss prior to trial. I'm going to be brutally honest with you for a moment and tell you that you may lack credibility with a jury," Lexi proceeded in a straightforward matter.

"What the hell?" Danny demanded.

"I'm serious, Danny. First, you're too emotionally involved. You're supposed to be neutral and objective. If a jury sense that you dislike Jones, they may feel your findings are biased. Second, you're going to need to find some humility and fast. This 'I can do no wrong' attitude of yours challenges the jury to find fault with youand they will," Lexi detailed for him.

"What are you trying to say? That you want me to get up there and say I screwed up when I didn't? That's never gonna happen, so you can just forget about that right now" Danny fumed.

"Listen, your shoddy work is the reason the bullet was excluded in the first place. The least you can do if offer credible testimony regarding your findings. I really don't think that is asking too much. I'm at a complete loss here. In six years, I have never lost a case. I win even when my client is wrong. A slam-dunk case against some asshole that killed his wife is NOT going to be my first loss. Got it?" Lexi barked at Danny.

Danny's face darkened to possibly the deepest shade of red Lexi had ever seen. Rage flickered in his gorgeous blue eyes. "You gotta be fucking kidding me," he yelled at her. "I'm sick to my stomach that this son of a bitch might go free because of something I did. But you're not even concerned about justice. All you care about is your goddamn trial record. Are you for real? Go back to defending white collar scumbags or whatever the hell you do." Danny pounded his fist on the table to emphasize his point.

Suddenly Lexi felt nauseous. Danny was dead on in his assessment of her motives. She was a competitive person who thrived on the win and often lost sight of the reason for winning in the first place. No wonder people hate attorneys. It wasn't for the BMWs they typical drive or for the fancy vocabulary they acquire on the job, it's because they're generally heartless and she was no exception. Lexi had just been humbled in a big way. There was so much she could learn from Danny.

Danny's angry eyes were locked onto hers as he awaited her response. He looked like a lion ready to pounce. Lexi wished she felt half the passion for her job that Danny had for his. Though she was a fighter by profession, Lexi backed down quickly because Danny was right and she was wrong.

"You're a terrific CSI, Danny, and your instincts are totally right about me. The important thing is that we work together to make sure Jones spends the rest of his life behind bars. If I put you on the stand, it will be on your terms, okay?" Lexi asked, praying she could make things right with Danny. His zealous outburst had made an impression on her.

"Okay," Danny agreed, instantly cooling down.

They had finished eating, but Lexi really wanted to smooth things over with Danny before calling it a night. She suggested they order drinks and Danny agreed, looking relieved that the business portion of their meeting seemed to be over.

Switching gears, they began talking about everything under the sun. Lexi steered clear of questions regarding his family or upbringing because he hadn't seemed comfortable with that earlier. Danny was good-natured and easy-going. He joked easily and was a lot of fun to talk to. They didn't have much in common. They were, in fact, opposite in most respects. She was originally from California, had attended college in New York as an undergrad and returned to New York years later for work, but her heart remained in California. He was originally from New York, had worked in California for several years, but returned to New York the first time he got the chance. She wasn't a fan of his favorite band Velvet Underground and he doubled over in laughter when she proclaimed Guns 'n Roses to be one of the best bands of all time. He loved De Niro in "Taxi Driver"; she loved De Niro in "Meet the Parents." They searched for common ground, but couldn't find any. Regardless, they had a great time teasing each other about their many differences.

One drink became two, two drinks became three, and after that they lost count. The eye contact was constant and burning. There was definitely a mutual attraction and Lexi felt certain it wasn't just the alcohol talking. Danny was undeniably sexy and Lexi was completely captivated by him. She found herself getting lost in those stunning blue eyes and perfect smile.

Lexi suddenly felt a little self-conscious about what she was wearing. The simple navy blue sheath dress with matching blazer accessorized only by pearl stud earrings had seemed the prudent choice for court that morning, but now she felt decidedly unsexy. She couldn't even lean forward to give Danny the benefit of viewing her Wonderbra-enhanced cleavage as her dress had a crew neck. Lexi's thoughts drifted briefly to Aidan, Danny's colleague. She wondered if Danny preferred the body-hugging black jeans and low cut blouse Aidan was wearing today. Lexi wasn't accustomed to comparing herself to other women and it was a little unnerving. Danny must really be getting to her.

Lexi and Danny both noticed the restaurant workers were beginning to clean up for the night. It appeared the restaurant was closing, but neither of them volunteered to acknowledge the evening was coming to an end.

Danny appeared to have something right on the tip of his tongue that he wasn't saying. Lexi took a deep breath and prepared for what might be a monumental embarrassment. She hoped she was reading what he wasn't saying correctly, but there was no way to be sure.

"I really don't want tonight to end. Any chance you'd be interested in coming back to my place?" Lexi asked, trying to sound more confident than she felt. If he declined, there would be no way she could gracefully exit from this blunder without feeling like the tramp of the year.

Danny's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "I was working up the courage to ask you the same thing," he responded. "Let's get outta here."


	4. Chapter 4

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT

_This chapter is dedicated to Udjat. In a moment of infinitely shortsighted wisdom, I remarked that the sex scene in her fanfic was "tame" considering its source. That put me in the unfortunate position of having to get a bit freaky lest I appear to be a hypocrite. This chapter is unapologetically pure porn. Those who are clean minded may want to skip this chapter in its entirety. It truly does nothing to further the story. Special thanks to JDonne for her expert assistance with the steamy Italian used in this chapter._

_**Inadmissible **_

_**Chapter Four**_

Lexi unlocked the door to her spacious apartment and they stepped inside. As she hung his coat in the hall closet, Danny quickly took in his surroundings without saying a word until he noticed a painting of a large magnificently colored heart hanging on the wall outside her bedroom.

"You paint that?" he asked, sounding impressed.

"No," Lexi responded. "I bought it at a gallery in L.A. I don't know anything about art, but this piece really captured my attention. The artist originally wanted to become a professional athlete and when that didn't happen, he had to look within himself to find his other talents. Turns out he is also a gifted actor, painter, musician and writer. The painting serves as a reminder to me that whenever I come home hating my job, I am not locked into this profession forever. I, too, can focus on other talents and find something else to be passionate about."

"Hmmm … real inspiring," Danny muttered. "Is this why you brought me here?"

"Definitely not," she said with a naughty grin as she stepped into his solid body pushing him gently against the wall, while being careful not to disturb the painting.

Danny looked surprised at how quickly she was coming onto him, but briefly returned her grin before pressing his lips tentatively against hers. His lips were soft, though slightly dry, as if he licked them habitually.

Lexi returned Danny's kiss with a firmness that left no question in his mind as to how far she might be willing to go tonight. His lips parted and their tongues met. Underneath the taste of alcohol, Lexi detected something else. Did Danny smoke? She had never kissed a smoker before and had never really wanted to, having heard it likened to licking an ashtray. But as her tongue explored Danny's mouth with mounting fervor, the distant taste of smoke hidden behind the alcohol and behind … breath mints … aw, he must have anticipated this kiss and slipped a mint into his mouth while she wasn't looking, how cute … was oddly arousing. It gave this sexy lab geek a bad-boy edge that, in this instant, excited her immensely.

Suddenly, their hands were everywhere. Lexi placed her hands firmly on each side of his perfectly sculpted cheek bones, then began her journey downward over the light stubble that graced his jaw, his strong shoulders which bulged with thick muscles that were easily felt through his shirt, and his washboard-like abdominal muscles before wrapping her arms around his trim waist. She ran her hands down his strong back until they found his flawlessly round ass, which she groped tightly. Her hands remained there for a while as the intensity of their kisses increased at a feverish pace. She couldn't even keep track of where his hands were. In her hair. Down her shoulders. Across both breasts. Down her back. Over her ass. Now she finally caught up with him. One hand was feeling her crotch through her dress, while the other was wrapped tightly around her back pulling her into him.

Lexi hastily began unbuttoning Danny's white dress shirt, letting it fall to the floor. He was wearing a clingy, sleeveless white undershirt of the white-beater variety. She thought only the fat, hairy, Budweiser-guzzling losers with outstanding warrants featured on "Cops" wore those. She now stood corrected. In fact, on further inspection, it would have been a crime for Danny to wear anything else. His large, supremely well defined shoulders and biceps begged to be exposed. She noticed a tattoo on the side of his right shoulder and let her mouth slide off his and down his neck. He wore a strong, musky smelling cologne … Moschino Uomo, perhaps.

As Lexi showered Danny with kisses all over his neck, taking in everything about the way he smelled and the warm, sweet taste of his skin, Danny unzipped the back of Lexi's dress allowing it to fall to the floor next to his shirt. His hands made quick work of her bra-strap and it hit the floor in an instant. Danny's wife-beater was soon to follow.

Within ten minutes of entering her apartment, they stood nearly naked outside Lexi's bedroom door frantically making out. Lexi wore only a skimpy black thong, but Danny still had his pants on. Intent on equalizing that, Lexi unfastened his belt and unzipped his fly with one hand, while allowing her free hand to find its way inside his pants. To her pleasant surprise, her hand met not the soft cottony feel of boxers she had expected, but a course handful of pubic hair and the smooth warmth of his manliness. A brief second of confusion gave way to overwhelming excitement. Holy shit, the guy went commando! Lexi had been around the block a few times and back in her lifetime, but she had never encountered this before. Heard of it, yes. Encountered it herself, no. She stopped kissing him just long enough to look up at him questioningly.

"Ran out of clean laundry," Danny explained with a smile.

She didn't believe him. "Liar," she teased.

Danny was full of surprises - from the taste of smoke on his breath, to the tattoo on his arm and the lack of underwear. When they began kissing, Lexi had assumed tonight would be full of the intoxicating passion that comes with brand-new-lover sex, but would be otherwise uneventful. Run of the mill, strictly missionary position kind of sex. She was now rethinking this. Danny definitely had an unforeseen naughty side and just might be into something a little freakier. She was willing to bet he had his fair share of interested women to choose from. Never one to shy away from a calculated risk, Lexi decided that if she hoped to keep Danny's interest, she would have to seize this opportunity to set herself apart from the rest of the pack.

Danny's hand had found its way inside her thong and he began fingering her wetness as he ran his tongue across her breasts and down her flat, firm stomach. He tugged her thong off as he kneeled on the floor in front of her and slowly maneuvered his arms between her legs.

"Like what you've done down here," he commented, appreciatively taking in her fairly extreme Brazilian wax job. She sported only a small triangle of hair over the pubic mound, but kept herself otherwise waxed bare. He seemed to like that as he kept surveying the area intermittently while expertly tracing small circles over her clitoris with his tongue. He began moving his fingers in and out of her, while his tongue continued to please her. The scruff of facial hair on his chin was tickling her in just the right way. Although Lexi leaned against the wall for support, the room began spinning and her knees felt as if they were about to give out.

"Bedroom … now," was about all she could manage to get out in between her moans of pleasure. Danny rose from his knees and effortlessly lifted her legs up around his waist, carrying her into the bedroom. In this position, she could feel him against her opening and she ached to have him inside her. Danny sensed this and backed away ever so slightly as he laid her on back.

Lexi sat up and rolled over on top of Danny, pushing him down on the bed underneath her.

"So, Danny, do you have your handcuffs and gun on you?" she asked.

"Right now, you're the only thing on me," he answered teasingly.

"You know what I meant. Do you have your handcuffs and gun _with_ you?" she clarified.

He took a moment to study her face for any indication that she was kidding. She was not, so he cautiously responded, "They're in my coat. We can play with the 'cuffs if you want, but the gun needs to remain holstered."

Feigning disappointment, Lexi ran to retrieve the 'cuffs from Danny's coat. She returned a minute later to find that he had removed his glasses and set them on the nightstand.

"The glasses stay on," she demanded.

"They'll fall off," he objected.

"No, they won't. I'll go easy on you," she countered.

"No, you won't," he continued to object.

She had only one thing on her mind and it wasn't arguing with Danny over his glasses, so she let it go.

"Hands above your head," Lexi instructed.

Danny complied and she snapped the handcuffs around his wrists, attaching them to the headboard of the bed, as she kissed him slowly and gently on the neck. Wondering if he spoke Italian, she whispered, "_Desidero a vaffunculo come un animale_" in his ear. Although this remark was way beyond crude, his face registered no reaction whatsoever, so she could only conclude that he did not.

As Lexi's lips began their slow decent down the front of Danny's naked body, he said, "Are you sure this is such a good idea? I don't know if I trust you."

"Yeah, Mac told me you've got good instincts. Perhaps you should have followed them," she said teasingly as she intentionally bit one of his nipples just a little harder than he would have expected. She figured he would yelp with pain or say, "Ouch." He didn't. He looked down at her with a smile that said, "I'm game."

Lexi ran her fingers across his very light fluff of sandy brown chest hair and slowly slid her tongue down the entire length of his washboard stomach. Once she reached her destination, she cupped both testicles in one hand and began softly massaging them as she gently stroked his penis with the other hand. The good Lord had been very, very kind to Danny in this department. She should have guessed though; his feet looked enormous.

She lightly traced the tip of his penis with her tongue and he moaned slightly. She continued to stroke him as she wrapped her lips around his throbbing erection, her lips sliding easily all the way down to the base. He moaned appreciatively and looked a little surprised that she was able to take in his entire length. There were many things in life that Lexi was good at, but for some reason, this is where her strongest talents lie. She knew how to give a fantastic blowjob and loved doing it.

Danny tried to play it cool at first, but within minutes was groaning loudly and constantly, so much so that it was actually becoming a bit distracting. Lexi expertly worked Danny into a frenzy, bring him to the very edge, and then slowly removed him from her mouth.

"That was … that was amazing," he said somewhat breathlessly. "Uncuff me."

"No," she responded simply.

Lexi straddled Danny, lowering herself slowly onto him until he was fully inside her. She stayed still for just a moment, savoring the feeling of fullness his enormous size offered. He closed his eyes and seemed to savor it too.

Then, taking in every inch of her body with his eyes, Danny said, "God, you look incredible."

"That's because you're not wearing your glasses, you blind bastard," Lexi laughed. Danny protested that he had indeed checked her out very thoroughly _before_ removing his glasses, but Lexi brushed off his remarks. She was never really comfortable accepting compliments and usually turned them into some sort of self-deprecating joke.

Lexi began sliding herself up and down on his large shaft, squeezing every muscle she had at the bottom of each stroke. Every time she gripped him tightly inside her, he moaned. Danny wasn't the kind to just lie there the way some men do when they're on the bottom. He was a very active participant, even with his hands restrained. His hips moved under hers, matching her rhythm perfectly. He was also great about using subtle shifts in his body to indicate when he liked things faster or slower. It was as if they were made for each other. Even so, the next thing out of Danny's mouth surprised her.

"You don't … um, do this for a living do you?" Danny asked looking almost half-serious.

What the fuck? How incredibly rude was that? She assumed he intended it as compliment, though she wasn't exactly flattered.

"Aw, isn't that sweet? Did you just call me a whore _while_ we're screwing?" she demanded.

"Nah. Nah. Nah," Danny shook his head vigorously. "I meant …"

"Don't worry about it," Lexi kissed him deeply on the mouth.

"I've got to touch you. Uncuff me," Danny requested.

"No." Lexi continued riding him to the edge and his body trembled.

Danny squirmed underneath her and began turning his wrists in some sort of futile attempt at freeing them.

"Please stop … I don't want to cum yet. Uncuff me now, please," he pleaded.

She stopped moving. He didn't seem like a man who had to beg for much. Deciding there was a fine line between harmless fun and false imprisonment, Lexi fished the key to the handcuffs off the nightstand where she had set it next to Danny's glasses.

"Are you left handed or right?" she asked.

"Huh?" he looked at her questioningly.

"Left handed or right?" she repeated.

"Right," he answered slowly, unsure where this was going.

Lexi carefully and deliberately placed the key in Danny's left hand.

"Unlock them yourself," she instructed as she began riding him again, with a devilish smile.

"God damn it … I can't …," Danny complained fumbling with the key, once again on the brink of climax.

"Yes, you can," Lexi encouraged as she continued to drive Danny wild. His breathing was getting faster and he was moaning despite his struggle. Even though his hands were jerky, he managed to free himself from the handcuffs just in time.

"Jesus Christ, Lexi, you're killing me," he sounded irritated and aroused at the same time as he pulled himself out from underneath her and turned over, climbing around behind her.

"_Ora e la mia girata da essere l'animale_, " he whispered in her ear as he pushed her head into the pillow and entered her roughly from behind. Lexi smiled to herself. She'd been right. This was one naughty boy … and one naughty boy who, in fact, spoke Italian quite well.

He gripped her hips, as he moved back and forth inside her with an ever- quickening speed. He must not know _that_ much about women, Lexi thought, because that jackhammer pace rarely gets the job done. But Mac was right, Danny had good instincts. Apparently sensing that she wasn't nearly as close to climax as he was, he reached one hand around to her front and began massaging her clitoris. The slow, firm feel of his touch was in marked contrast to the speed of his thrusts and it sent Lexi over the edge quickly.

Danny was soon to follow. He moaned softly as he unloaded inside her.

Afterward, they lay in bed talking for quite a while. Danny was sweet, intelligent and funny. The naughty boy she had just shared incredible sex with was gone. He was the male version of the cliché saying that a man wants "a lady by day and a whore by night." That expression fit Danny to a tee, other than the "lady" part.

After Danny fell asleep, Lexi lie awake watching him. He was truly gorgeous. A vision of pure and absolute physical perfection. Lexi recalled an article she had read about some UK fangirl who had made a half-hour video of a shirtless David Beckham allegedly sleeping. At the time she read it, she thought that must be one boring-ass video. Now, as she took in every inch of Danny and listened to the rhythmic sound of his breathing, she recognized the true brilliance behind that concept.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Inadmissible**_

_**Chapter Five**_

Lexi awoke with smile, memories of last night still fresh in her mind. She turned toward Danny's side of the bed hoping for a good morning kiss, but saw that her bed was empty. Lexi's heart dropped into her stomach, forming a hard ball. She really hadn't pegged Danny as a "love 'em and leave 'em" kind of guy and honestly felt they had connected on a much deeper level than that.

She sat up in bed and stared at the clock in disbelief. Damn, it was past 8:00 a.m. Normally she would have been in the office for at least an hour by this time. She would have to make the shower extra fast today. As she made her way toward the bathroom, she heard the unmistakable sound of running water. Her faith in Danny was immediately restored.

Lexi silently tiptoed into the bathroom. Though the glass shower door was heavily fogged, she was able to make out Danny's silhouette and watched him appreciatively for a few moments. Still naked from last night, she quietly slipped into the shower behind Danny. Not startled at all, he turned toward her a big, sexy grin and gave her a lingering kiss.

"Hope ya don't mind that I helped myself to the shower. I'm kinda late for work … not that I'm complaining," he said.

"Hope you don't mind that I got in with you. I'm late too," she responded, sneaking in another kiss.

Danny looked hotter than ever all lathered up with the water running down the length of his flawless physique. It was really a shame they were both running late this morning. They made out briefly and possibly groped each other a little bit, but Lexi wasn't totally clear on the details because she was floating on cloud 9 this morning and not thinking clearly.

As they exited her apartment, Lexi and Danny had to part ways as they worked in opposite directions. They kissed again, for about the hundredth time this morning despite the hurry they were both in.

"Call ya later?" Danny asked.

"You better," Lexi beamed at him.

It was 9:00 a.m by the time Lexi got to the office and she was agonizing over what had transpired between her and Danny last night. To be sure, it was amazing and she was falling for him fast. But there was a critical detail that escaped her in the heat of the moment. She had committed a grievous mistake from a work standpoint.

"_Never sleep with your client_" was a hard and fast rule even a first year law student could recite. But "_never sleep with a key witness_" didn't even come close to entering her mind last night as, frankly, that temptation had never presented itself before.

If she even dreamed of putting Danny on the stand at trial, she would have an ethical obligation to disclose last night's indiscretion to the defense. That was more than just professionally embarrassing. It was devastating to her case. Danny's testimony would be deemed biased and, therefore, inadmissible. Jones would walk.

Lexi could potentially attempt to prosecute the case without calling Danny as a witness. She would have to rely exclusively on circumstantial evidence if she did that, but a California jury recently sentenced a man to death on similar facts without even having any idea as to when, where, or how the wife was killed. She could hold her breath and pray for a similar outcome. No, that simply wasn't right. Hard evidence linking Jones to his wife's murder had been obtained at the scene and, although the evidence itself was inadmissible, Danny could certainly testify about his findings.

Danny was all Lexi could think about. What was she going to do? She slept with her key witness on the very first day of her new job. How was that going to look? Actually, _what job_ was probably a question she should be considering right now. The only way Danny's testimony would be allowed is _without her_. The case would have to be reassigned and possibly even referred out for prosecution by an outside attorney with no affiliation to her office.

Suddenly, Lexi was struck with the image of Danny's enraged face last night during dinner when her career appeared to be the reason she was upset about the excluded evidence. Danny was a good man with a heart of gold. If she chose to put on a strictly circumstantial case in order avoid office humiliation at the risk of letting Jones walk free, Danny would never look at her the same.

It was clear what she needed to do. She opened the _New York v. Jones_ file to locate the telephone number of Mr. Jones' attorney, whom she met at yesterday's hearing, to advise him that she would be filing Substitution of Counsel forms that morning and a new attorney would be in touch with him soon.

Lexi's phone rang interrupting her thoughts. It was Danny and she was thrilled. It was only 10:00 a.m.

"Hey, it's me," he began. She liked this immensely. He was already referring to himself in the familiar way a boyfriend would rather than saying, "It's Danny."

"By 'Call ya later,' I had now idea you meant, 'Call ya within the hour'," she teased with an ear-to-ear grin spread across her face.

"Yeah, well, when something catches my attention I go after it."

"_Something_?"

"Okay, _someone_. Listen, I was wondering if you're free for lunch today because there is this great sandwich shop I go to all the time … if you're interested," he asked hopefully.

"I'm very interested, but unfortunately I have some stuff I really need to take care of here in the office."

"Okay, no problem. Maybe I'll call you tomorrow." She could hear the disappointment in his voice and thought there is no way she wanted to let this one get away.

"Hey, if you don't have plans for dinner tonight, why don't you come over to my place after work and I'll cook for you," Lexi offered.

"No way I can pass up a home cooked meal. I don't see too many of those," he eagerly accepted.

"Great. Say around 7:00?"

"Works for me. Is there anything I can bring?" Danny asked.

"Um, can you bring your lab coat and a forensics book?" she ventured, imagining that fantasy come true already.

"You kidding? Consider it done. But when you ask me to bring home a corpse tomorrow night, that's where I draw the line."


End file.
